Set firmly in the "giallo" genre (translated as "yellow," the term refers to the color of the covers of mystery/thriller novels published in Italy), The Bird With the Crystal Plumage reinvigorated the lethargic Italian horror filmmaking industry, inspiring scores of second, third, and even fourth-rate knockoffs for the next decade, while earning Argento such nicknames as "the Italian Hitchcock" and the "Viscount of violence." For his next film, Argento wanted to explore the genre further, adding elements of the action adventure and Western genres to the mix. What resulted was the 1970 release The Cat O'Nine Tails (Il Gatto a Nove Code), the second film in the so-called "animals trilogy."